Vehicle mounted sonic shearing device having propulsion aiding means



Aprll 8, 1969 BODlNE' 3,437,381

VEHICLE MOUNTED SONIC SHEARING DEVICE HAVING. v

PROPULSION AIDING- MEANS Filed Feb. 5, 1968 United States Patent Office 3,437,381 VEHICLE MOUNTED SONIC SHEARING DEVICE HAVING PROPULSION AIDING MEANS Albert G. Bodine, 7877 Woodley Ave., Van Nuys, Calif. 91406 Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 627,390, Mar. 31, 1967. This application Feb. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 703,177

Int. Cl. E21c 37/16, 47/00 US. Cl. 299-37 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This application is a continuation-in-part of my application Ser. No. 627,390, filed Mar. 31, 1967, for Sonic Rectifier Coupling for Rock Cutting Apparatus and now Patent No. 3,367,716.

This invention relates to a vehicle mounted shearing device, nad more particularly, to such a device utilizing sonic energy for implementing the shearing action and for aiding the propulsion of the vehicle.

In my application Ser. No. 627,390, of which this application is a continuation-in-part, a technique for utilizing unidirectional pulses of sonic energy in driving a rock cutting bit to alleviate the wear and overheating of the bit caused by the return stroke of the vibration cycle is described. It has been found that with the embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 and 22 of this prior application, wherein the cutting or shearing tool is resiliently supported on a propelled vehicle, additional unexpected advantages accrue where the device is being utilized for working softer material such as clay, and that by virtue of the resilient mount a return force at a much slower rate than the drive impulse received from the rectification system is provided which significantly aids in the propulsion of the vehicle. This is particularly significant in earth working operations in softer earth structures where the tractor or other propelling vehicle encounters difficulty in maintaining traction. These propulsion strokes provided by the tool are of much longer duration than the cutting strokes in response to the unidirectional vibration pulses and thus provide a propulsive force over a greater duration of time, to effectively achieve the desired end result.

One particular benefit from this invention shows up when it is applied in operations such as earth plowing. Here, a natural situation of Coulomb friction is encountered where the force required tocause the tool to slide frictionally through the soil is substantially independent of velocity. Therefore, if the tool is driven forward during a short period of time at a high velocity, directly from the acoustic rectifier, the product of force and time is relatively small. On the other hand, if the tool moves back on its return stroke more slowly in response to the lower rate of energy flow applied by the elastically stressed compliant mounting member, the greater time during which the force is applied results in a greater product of force and time. The significant factor is that this asymmetrical application of force to the shearing tool re- Patented Apr. 8, 1969 sults in a greater elfort in the forward direction to provide the desired propulsive force. A significant application of the device of the invention is in earth tillage and in cable laying, where considerable soil damage results fromthe tractive effort required in driving the plow. The propulsive effort provided by the working tool itself effectively minimizes the tearing up of the ground surface 'by the tractor wheels.

In achieving the desired propulsive effects, the device of the invention utilizes a compliant attachment of the working tool to the propelling vehicle. In one embodiment, this comprises a compliant support in the form of elastic support pillars and an elastic support bushing for the tool. In another embodiment, the compliant support is achieved by utilizing a blade fabricated of highly elastic material for the working tool. The working tool is unidirectionally driven by means of a sonic vibration system, which is coupled to the tool through a sonic rectifier, the compliant support means storing a portion of the drive energy, which is coupled to the tool over a relatively short period of time, the compliant means providing a return force in the opposite direction over a substantially longer time period.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to facilitate the propulsion of vehicles carrying material working tools.

The invention .will now be described in connection with the drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a first embodiment of the device of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of a second embodiment of the device of the invention; and

FIG. 3 includes graphical illustrations of typical vibrational pulses involved in the operation of the invention.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the device of the invention is illustrated. The basic structural features of this device will be described briefly, as they are treated in detail in the aforementioned application of which the instant application is a continuation in part. Support frame structure 11 is supported on the rear of tractor 12 by means of interconnecting structure 13 and drawn by the tractor. Resonator bar member 15, which is fabricated of an elastic material such as steel, is pivotally supported on frame 11 by means of pivotal support unit 16. Attached to the top of the bar member is an orbiting mass oscillator which includes a rotor oriented so as to generate vibrational energy in the direction indicated by arrows 21. The rotor of oscillator 20 is shaft driven by a hydraulic motor 22 which receives hydraulic power through line 23. Oscillator 20' may be one of the types described in my Patent No. 2,960,314 or 3,217,551. The speed of rotation of the rotor of he oscillator is adjusted so as to cause transverse resonant vibration of bar member 15 so as to set up standing waves therein as indicated by graph lines 26.

Shearing tool 30 is attached to shaft 31, this shaft being resiliently supported in sleeve 35 by means of rubber bushing 36 which is molded or vulcanized to both the shaft and the sleeve to form an integral unit. Sleeve 35 is resiliently suspended fnom frame structure 11 on elastic pillars 39 which are fabricated of a resilient material such as rubber. Resonant bar member 15 is urged against the end of shaft 31 by means of spring assembly 40 which is attached at one end thereof to frame structure 11 by means of bracket 41, the other end of the spring assembly abutting against the bar member.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a first graph line 45 is shown which represents the vibration pattern set up in bar member 15, the velocity, v of such vibration being plotted against time, t.

The portions of graph line 45 above the 0 axis indicate excursions towards shaft member 31, while the portions of the graph line below the axis indicate vibratory excursions away from the shaft member. Graph line 47 indicates a plot of velocity, v against time, t of the shaft member, this :being shown in time relationship to graph line 45.

As indicated by graph line 47, in response to the forward excursion of resonator bar member 15, shaft 31 and along with it shearing tool member move forward in a sharp pulse away from the bar member, a portion of the energy being stored in the compliant support means including bushing 36 and pillars 39. This stored energy then at a much slower rate, such as indicated by the negative portions of graph line 47, moves tool 30 in an opposite direction to the original drive, this opposite motion providing a force against the ground which aids in the propulsion of the tractor. It is to be noted that the displacement of tool member 30 in response to the vibratory energy is only in the nature of a fraction of an inch. However, the small increments of force provided at the sonic frequencies involved add up to provide a significant total net propulsive force for the vehicle.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a second embodiment of the device of the invention is illustrated. The details of the structure of this embodiment are described in the application of which this forms a continuation-impart in connection with FIG. 22, thereof and therefore will be described but briefly herein. Blade which is fabricated of a highly elastic material such as steel, is mounted to frame 51 by means of swivel 52. Resonant bar member 53 is mounted to the main structure by means of mounting pins having clearance neck 61 and top flange 62 as to accommodate oversize hole 65 in the swivel. In this manner, because of the clearance of hole 65, it is possible for the resonant bar to develop a lateral mode of vibration without seriously vibrating the whole machine. Welded to the rear of blade 50 are a series of striker blocks 67. Bar 53 extends along the rear edge of the blade and is coupled thereto through striker blocks 67.

Orbiting mass oscillator is bolted to resonant bar 53, motor 71 being supported on swivel 52 and providing drive for the oscillator rotor. A bias force for applying resonant bar 53 against striker block 67 is provided by lever arm 75 which is urged by spring 76 against pin 78 which extends from the oscillator housing. As for the previous embodiment, the orbiting mass oscillator is driven at a speed such as to set up lateral resonant elastic vibration of bar 53 which imparts unidirectional impulses of energy through striker block 67 to blade 50. With such unidirectional driving of the blade, the blade is compliantly stressed. The energy so stored in the blade provides a return force at a significantly slower rate, as indicated by graph line 47 of FIG. 3, which provides a forward propulsive force for the vehicle as already described in connection with FIGS. 1 and 3. The details of structure of the embodiment of FIG. 2 are thoroughly covered in the aforementioned patent application of which this is a continuation in part, and therefore need not be repeated here.

I claim:

1. In a sonically vibratory machine for shearing material, said machine including a vehicle, an elastic bar mounted on said vehicle, a sonic vibration oscillator mounted on and acoustically coupled to said bar so as to set up resonant elastic vibration thereof, a shearing tool, and acoustic rectifier means for coupling only unidirectional pulses of sonic energy from said bar to said tool, the improvement comprising,

means for compliantly supporting said tool on said vehicle so that a portion of the energy of said unidirectiona-l pulses is stored in said compliant supporting means during the time when said unidirectional pulses are present, said complaint supporting means driving said tool in a direction opposite to that of said unidirectional pulses in between the times when said pulses are present, said compliant supporting means driving said tool at a substantially lower velocity than the driving of said tool in response to said pulses.

2. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein said compliant means comprises resilient pillar means suspending said tool member from said vehicle.

3. The device as recited in claim 2 wherein said compliant means additionally comprises a resilient bushing member interconnecting said pillar means and said tool.

4. The device as recited in claim 1 wherein said compliant means comprises an elastic blade member suspensively supported from said vehicle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,226,858 l/l966 Spannhake 17240 X 3,336,082 8/1967 Bodine 299-14 FOREIGN PATENTS 149,003 10/1921 Great Britain.

ERNEST R. PURSER, Primary Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

